TWJ Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 Hello all. Going on my first cruise in July on the Grandeur of the Seas out of Tampa. I read an article yesterday that said the Grandeur was having some propulsion system problems causing a few future itineraries to have earlier departure times, ports of call canceled and some shorter times in port. The article didn't contain much more information and I was wondering if this was common or something to be concerned about? Also, the article didn't mention if this was going to be an ongoing issue or if it would be repaired before the summer. Other than that I am excited to get out there on our first cruise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 Cruise ships have multiple engines that drive generators that make electricity. The electricity then drive the motors that turn the propellers. It's very common for one of the engines to be taken out of service to do maintenance on that engine. Usually there is enough capacity from the other engines to have one engine out of service and no one knows any better. Engines are constantly being overhauled in this manner. One engine is going through a routine overhaul while other engines keep everything else going. Sometimes an engine has an unexpected issue and they need to take that engine out of service to work on it. When this happens while another engine is already out of service for routine maintenance it can mean the rest of the engines that are still working can't make enough electricity to drive the propulsion motors at full speed. The ship isn't in danger, it simply can't go at it's normal top speed. When a ship is speed restricted it can't operate the same itinerary it might when top speed is available. Some of the ports are far enough apart that it requires higher speeds to get there and when top speed isn't available they have to change the itinerary. There are supply chain issues impacting weird things right. Industrial air conditioning has supply constraints right now. Here in the US if you are trying to build a new building or data center you might find that the industrial air conditioning units just aren't available in a timely manner right now. The parts that go into ship engines are also unique and impacted by supply chain constraints right now. A couple of years ago if an engine had an issue they could get parts sent overnight and find contractors to work on the ship quickly. Now it can take months to get parts and people to install them. If it were a safety issue USCG wouldn't allow the ship to depart. It's not a safety issue, it is simply that they can't go as fast as they would like to. How long is anyone's guess. AlmondFarmer, DoomSlayer, Cactus527 and 5 others 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmondFarmer Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 59 minutes ago, twangster said: It's not a safety issue, it is simply that they can't go as fast as they would like to And PETA doesn’t allow sausages to be hung in front of hungry dogs on treadmills to provide additional temporary power. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWJ Posted February 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 On 1/29/2023 at 8:40 AM, twangster said: If it were a safety issue USCG wouldn't allow the ship to depart. It's not a safety issue, it is simply that they can't go as fast as they would like to. How long is anyone's guess. Thank you for the detailed reply and putting my mind at ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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